By: Jeremy Anderson Posted at: 07/15/2014 09:39 AM(Norway)- The Kristiansand Gladiators coached by former Chadron State College football coach and athletic director Brad Smith scored on a last-second play to win the Norwegian National Championship football game 24-21 on Saturday.

Smith said the Gladiators, who had never previously won a national title, were down 21-12 with about seven minutes left. They scored a touchdown with 4:30 to play, but missed the extra point to still trail 21-18.

“Making extra points was a problem for us all year,” Smith said during an e-mail message. “What I wouldn’t have given to have a Jay Masek or one of our other CSC kickers. It’s crazy that in a country with so many soccer players that a guy can’t find a placekicker.”

Smith’s defensive unit held during the next series and the Gladiators got the ball back on their own 20 with 2:20 to play. The Glads got the winning TD on a fourth and goal pass play from the opponents’ 20 with eight seconds to play.

“Tears flowed and everybody was kind of in shock,” Smith related. The Gladiators finished the year 7-2 by winning their last five games.

Smith said the touchdown play was the same one he called during the Eagles’ 45-44 win over Adams State in the 2003 season finale when Shawn Eisenreich hit Beau Sheets on a 10-yard TD pass in the final play of the game.

The opponent in the Norway title game was the Eidsvold 1814’s, who won the championship five of the last six years.

This was the first year Smith coached in Norway. He accepted the job in late 2013 after retiring as the Eagles’ athletic director, a position he held for more than 25 years.

He also was CSC’s head football coach the first 18 years, compiling a 133-56-1 record. His teams won or shared five Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference championships. In 2009 when the conference celebrated its 100th anniversary, he was selected as the RMAC’s all-time football coach.